Seeing your progress is really important when you are working on improving any aspect of your life, especially when you are getting into better shape.

Being well organized, and having certain fitness milestones can mean the difference between continuing your new health regime, or becoming a couch potato all over again.  What’s the point if you can’t tell how you have improved, right?

One of the simplest ways to see your progress is to map it out for yourself.  Take full responsibility for your new fitness lifestyle.  Even if you have a great personal trainer, keeping your own inventory of how you are improving your health is self-inspiring and rewarding.

Here’s what I recommend, go out and buy a calendar-schedule, or even a basic calendar; just make sure it is big enough to take notes. You could even make your own if you choose; a great craft project.

In your Calendar, you should have a place to write what exercises you did, what cardio you performed; how long, how many calories, and the distance “on the treadmill, bike, rowing machine etc.” are all good to note when doing cardio.  You should also write down your stretches, and the amount of repetitions you performed for any weight bearing exercises. Add motivational quotes, feel good sayings, your weekly exercise goals, and be honest; stick to it!

Here’s the best part, stickers! Sounds silly, but it rocks! After you have worked out, and you have finished your workout, “an accomplishment in itself”, you get to take a sticker and put it beside your workout!

You could purchase a couple of packages; about 40 stickers will work to start.  Here’s what you do, make one of your first goals, to finish placing all of those stickers you’ve just bought on your new fitness calendar-schedule!

Start slow, the point of this fitness schedule is to help you see your own progress, and to reward yourself with a sticker for accomplishing your workout!

Here’s what will happen, in two weeks you will look back and see a couple, maybe even three stickers per week, then in a months time you’ll see even more stickers.  Pretty soon, you will be having a hard time choosing between which stickers to place that are remaining, and then comes the big milestone, new sticker shopping.

If you don’t want to give yourself a sticker star, or whatever other sticker you choose, then a tick mark works too, but not as well…  I’m biased.

So, start making yourself accountable and get going.  Any movement, be it a walk after work or a bike ride deserves a sticker; so get out and be active.  Pretty soon your jeans will be looser and you will be having more energy, and a cool exercise planner that is being well used.

If you are new to fitness or have not exercised in a while, make sure to check with your doctor to get the go ahead with any new program you take on.

Eat clean and be lean, your body is a temple!

Oh, and last, but not at all least, don’t beat yourself up if you don’t exercise for a couple of days, just get back on track; the fitness track!

The sticker affect is not to bring on anxiety for not exercising, but motivation to exercise; have fun with it!!!!